The Old College Try
by Sunny Shadows
Summary: Jacob goes to college. Esme gets empty-nest syndrome and invites a new vampire to stay with them... I hate summaries, so please just read it.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story that I am writing for a friend, but I'm posting it here, too, so others can (maybe) enjoy it as well. Anyway, to get some things clear, Edward and Bella got married, but Bella did NOT get pregnant so Renesmee does NOT exist. This is what could have happened. It's like the last half of Breaking Dawn didn't happen. Is that confusing maybe? Hm. I hope not...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight characters.**

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**Prologue**

If anyone from the pack was going to imprint on a vampire, I would have bet on Seth. Seth was the only one who truly seemed to like the entire Cullen family. The rest of us only dealt with the Cullens because we had to. I mean, sure Carlisle was nice enough, but still they were _bloodsuckers_, _leeches_.

I was the one who was in love with Bella, a mostly normal human. I say mostly normal because she was in love with Edward Cullen, aka Vampire Boy. How can you be in love with someone who wants to drink your blood? Ugh.

Anyway, like I was saying, Seth should have been the one to imprint on a vampire. Not me.

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**Chapter 1**

"Jake, wake up! You're going to be late!"

I was already awake staring up at my ceiling and trying not to think of a certain someone but failing miserably.

Bella, the new Mrs. Cullen. Edward and Bella the newlyweds. Bella, the soon-to-be vampire. It made me sick even to think about it, and yet I couldn't _not_ think about it.

They had been home for the summer. I avoided Bella like the plague. I knew that if I even saw her once, I wouldn't be able to keep up my charade, pretending that I was okay. Not to mention Vampire Boy would be hanging around gloating as he heard my misery.

Now, they were back at Dartmouth for the start of the fall semester. Bella had decided to delay becoming a vampire for a few semesters, but I knew she wouldn't put it off forever.

Well, I didn't care either way. Bella was an adult. She could do what she wanted. At least that's what I tried to convince myself with.

"Jake!" Billy roared from the kitchen.

I pushed myself up out of bed. The last thing I needed was for him to get stuck in the hallway with his wheelchair again. I pulled on a relatively clean shirt.

"Jake, I mean it. You'd better not be late for your first day."

"I'm coming," I growled.

Lately, my dad had been up my ass. He said that he wasn't going to let me mope around anymore. What the hell did he know?

On my way out the door, Billy said, "Don't forget your bag."

I rolled my eyes, but grabbed my backpack off the floor and slung it over my shoulder. It was fully stocked with my books, notebooks, pens, and god knows what else, and my schedule was pinned to the front so I wouldn't forget it. My sister Rachael had packed it for me before she left for school a couple days ago. I felt like a kindergartener, having someone pack my bag for me. What was next? A sack lunch with an "I love you" note in it?

I dumped my bag onto the passenger seat of my Volkswagen Rabbit. College was supposed to be the best time of your life. I hadn't even gone one day and I hated it already.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this chapter is so short. Next one should be longer. Anyway, let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight characters.**

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In a major lapse of judgment, I had let Rachel pick out my classes. She said that she had picked out classes that she thought I would enjoy, but as I scanned my schedule, I felt like strangling her. Let's just put it this way, Art History I was my first class of the day. What the hell did I care about art history for?

I opened the door to the classroom slowly, dreading what was about to come. The lights were dimmed and a big screen took up the front wall. I sighed inwardly as I saw the size of the desks. They were small and arranged in a stadium seating kind of way. I picked out a seat in the back row and crammed myself into it. Being nearly seven feet tall definitely had its disadvantages.

I put my bag in the seat next to me and propped my feet up on the back of the seat in front of me so I could be my own little island with no one sitting near me. I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I didn't care about what they had to say when Bella, the girl I just couldn't seem to get over, could be turned into a bloodsucker at any moment.

Besides, there was no reason for me to drag anyone else down into my deep pool of misery. I had already done that to the rest of my pack. They were about ready to kill me. It was so bad that they avoided phasing while I was phased.

Suddenly, I about gagged as a sickly sweet smell hit me like a semi truck. _Bloodsucker._

A girl, maybe about five-foot four, flounced by me. Her coal black hair contrasted starkly with the pale skin of her arms left exposed by her green T-shirt. I couldn't see her face, but I didn't have to see it to know that all her features would be perfect. She was one of them. A vampire.

I felt my anger level rising as she sat down two rows in front of me. What was she doing here? I would have heard about some new addition to the Cullen clan from Seth, so who was she?


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to those who reviewed. Please read and review. It would really make my day!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight characters. Also, I don't know if I need to add these, but just in case, I do not own Ben Stein or Nigel Spivey. Really.**

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**Calla**

I wrinkled my nose. Ugh. Dog. I knew it had to be the freakishly tall, russet-skinned guy crammed into the desk two rows behind me. Seriously, he looked like a jack-in-the-box before it popped out.

I wished that I could just not breath for the rest of class, but someone would notice. I tossed my hair over my shoulder casually, knowing that I smelled equally as repulsive to him. Okay, it was mean and childish, but I couldn't help myself. I smirked to myself as he made a strangled sound.

Besides, I knew that he knew that I was a vampire. There was no doubt in my mind. He was a wolf from the Quiluete tribe. He already hated me just on principle. Well, that was fine. I didn't like him much either. He probably thought that I was ready to suck out everybody's blood, which I wasn't. I had more self-restraint than that.

The teacher came into the class a few minutes late mumbling some excuse about having trouble finding the classroom. I just rolled my eyes along with everyone else in the class. Wasn't it part of his job to know where the room was?

He began to hand out the syllabus. "My name is Mr. Lemming and this is Art History I."

Mr. Lemming? How fitting. He was a mousy looking man in a brown tweed suit.

"We will start by studying prehistoric art and continue through the early Renaissance," Mr. Lemming continued in his irritating nasally monotone. Think along the lines of Ben Stein, but a hundred times worse. He flicked off the lights and turned on the overhead projector. "Today, we will be watching a documentary on cave paintings. I expect everyone to take notes because this _will_ be on the test."

Cave paintings, how scintillating.

Everyone, after a collective silent groan, pulled out their notebooks and pens. Lemming hit play and Nigel Spivey popped up onto the screen talking about the day images were born. At least it was better than listening to Lemming drone on in a lecture.

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**Jacob**

She flipped her hair over her shoulder again, sending another wave of overly sweet stink my way. She did that on _purpose_, flicking her hair over her shoulder. But there was nothing I could do. Not in a classroom full of people who didn't know that werewolves and vampires were real, anyway. I just clenched my fists and hoped that I would see her out in _my_ territory…

In the background, there was some British dude talking about how people were sitting in caves in the dark and it made them hallucinate, and from these hallucinations were where cavemen got the idea for their drawings. When I got home, Rachel was going to get an earful.

But I was hardly concentrating on the film. Even though Mr. Lemming had turned the lights off, I could still see clearly thanks to my sensitive eyes. The bloodsucker was doodling away in her notebook. When she shifted in her seat, I could see that she was drawing a very accurate portrait of Lemming. He was jumping off a cliff, following his furry namesakes into a rushing river. I smiled a little in spite of myself. At least she had a sense of humor.

But then she started pulling her hair into a ponytail, and my smile faded as the smell washed over me again. Funny or not, she was still a bloodsucker.


	4. Chapter 4

**Please leave me some feedback!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight characters.**

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**Jacob**

I suffered through my next two classes, College Algebra and English 101. I barely paid any attention to what was going on, my mind still stuck on the new bloodsucker. It really bothered me not knowing who she was. Was she a threat to anyone? Was she going to snap one day and attack the unsuspecting Mr. Lemming? Although I wasn't sure I would fully object to that one…

I didn't see the bloodsucker again, but I could still smell her in the hallways. I was glad when I went out to the parking lot to go home. I sucked in a deep breath of fresh air.

Billy wasn't home when I got back, which was a good thing because I didn't feel like answering a million and one questions about how school went. That and he wouldn't have liked the phone conversation I had with Rachel.

"Art History? Seriously? There wasn't _any_ other class?"

"That's what you get for signing up so late," Rachel told me in a know-it-all tone.

"I wasn't exactly planning on going to college," I muttered. "I only did it to get Dad off my back."

"Well, it's only for one semester. You'll survive. Sign up early next semester and you can pick whatever classes you want," she said a little defensively. "And a thank you wouldn't hurt you, you know."

"Thanks," I grumbled and hung up the phone.

I trudged off to my room. Rachael only _thought_ I would survive. She didn't know what it was like, how frustrating it was, to have class with a bloodsucker who kept playing with her hair just to piss me off.

As I plopped heavily onto my too-small bed, something occurred to me. Maybe I didn't have to wait for an entire semester. I could always just disappear again. Live as a wolf, at least for a while. Eating, sleeping, running—it wasn't a bad life. A lot easier to deal with than annoying leeches.

I laid on my bed considering this possibility until there was a knock on the door. Probably Seth. He was the only one who really came to see me anymore. Quil and Embry still stopped by from time to time, but they knew me well enough to know to give me some space. Seth, on the other hand…

But today was different. I wanted to get some information out of him. I got up and answered the door.

"Hey," Seth greeted cheerfully.

I stepped back to let him enter and shut the door after him. He sat down on the sagging couch.

"Do you have anything to eat? I'm _starving_," he said. On cue, his stomach rumbled.

I rolled my eyes as I walked to the kitchen and grabbed him a bag of chips. I tossed him the chips and leaned against the wall.

"How was college?" Seth asked scooping out a handful of chips and popping them into his mouth.

"It was… school."

Seth nodded. "Yeah. New year, same stuff."

"So what's up with the Cullens?" I asked casually, leading into my line of questioning about the new bloodsucker.

Seth saw right through me. "So I take it you saw Calla?"

"Why didn't you tell me there was a new bloodsucker?" I demanded.

"I did," he retorted. "You just weren't listening. And can you please not use _bloodsucker_? Calla is nice, just like all the other Cullens."

"Calla? What kind of a name is that? And she's a Cullen?"

"Calla is Greek for beauty. I looked it up." He was defensive of his new favorite bloodsucker. "And she's not technically a Cullen. I tried to ask her more, but she wouldn't say. Just said something about Esme having empty-nest syndrome with Edward and Bella off at college and Rosalie and Emmett traveling."

Whatever. Like I cared where she was from anyway.

"I gotta go. Mom's gonna kill me if I don't get my homework done." Seth stood up and headed for the door, taking the bag of chips with him. Before he shut the door, he said, "You really should get to know Calla. You might like her."

I growled, but the door was closed. Yeah, right. I was really going to like a bloodsucker. Ha. Maybe when Hell froze over.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, short chapter, I know. More to come soon, I promise. Anyway, please review because lately I feel like I'm writing for a brick wall... Just stick with the story. It will start picking up soon!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Twilight characters.**

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Calla

The house was unusually silent when I returned. Carlisle was still at the hospital, and Esme was probably still in Seattle for her charity event. Alice and Jasper had taken up residence in what was formerly Edward and Bella's cottage so they could have their privacy. I had the entire house to myself, which wasn't as exciting as it should have been.

So, when Seth showed up at the house later, I was actually kind of happy. He was a nice kid, but he asked a lot of questions. And how can anyone be that cheerful all the time?

We were sitting in the kitchen because, as usual, Seth was hungry—even though he told me that he had just eaten dinner. Luckily for him, Esme always kept the kitchen fully stocked.

"How was school?" Seth asked, taking a bite out of his slice of pizza that was fresh from the oven. "Ow. Ow, hot."

"I told you to let it cool off. And school was…" I tried to think of the right word. "Smelly."

"So you met Jacob?" Seth's brown eyes were bright with excitement.

"Met, no. Smelled, yes." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't even think of trying to play matchmaker, Seth," I warned.

"Of course not." But he still had a small smile on his face. "But, you know, Jacob still hasn't imprinted on anybody…"

"So you want him to imprint on a vampire? I'm sure that would work out wonderfully," I said sarcastically, unconsciously wrinkling my nose at the idea.

Seth shrugged. "Jacob was asking about you."

"Yeah, probably asking who the new vampire was, right?" I completely saw through Seth's attempt.

"Well… yeah, but that's the first step, right? At least he showed an interest."

I gave a snort. Like I cared what Jacob thought of me. Seth was trying too hard to do something that wasn't going to happen. I just hoped he wouldn't be too crushed when he failed.


End file.
